Reconstructive surgeries, particularly tendon or ligament reconstruction, are well-known in the art. In general, these methods involve repairing a tendon or ligament by stitching it together or using a graft to repair the tendon or ligament. ACL repairs involve drilling a tunnel through the tibia, drilling a closed tunnel (socket) into the femur, inserting a substitute ACL graft into the tunnels, and securing the graft to the walls of the tibial and femoral tunnels using interference screws or the like. Tensioning and fixation of the graft in the tunnel is important for optimal results. A need exists for a method of re-attachment of soft tissue to bone which allows the graft to be securely placed in the bone tunnel and properly tensioned until natural reattachment occurs.
Repairs of other tendons or ligaments, such as the Achilles tendon, require trying to reattach the torn pieces of the existing tendon back together. This can be difficult to accomplish when the tendon ends are weaker because of the tear. The stitches can rip through the tendon at the repair site. A need exists for reinforcing the torn tendon at the repair site.